Admirers of this third George Pal venture into science fiction consider it the best example of the genre. Based on the H.G. Wells turn of the century novel, Barré Lyndon's screenplay updates the story to the period after World War II and moves the action from London to Los Angeles. The Special effects won an Oscar®. Filmed in Technicolor® by Paramont Pictures, it was directed by Byron Haskin. Leith Stephens composed the music. Rocky cylinders hurled across space crash to Earth like burning meteorites. Bird-like war machines with metallic skins emerge from the cylinders to spread a path of destruction. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson flee from the invading Martians. The religious subtext is engrossing, but H.G. Wells' clever ending no longer achieves the same impact. Number two on the 10 Best List. Click for other version of poster